Manhunt after rapper shot dead on Vegas strip

A multi-state manhunt is under way for the men who shot dead an aspiring rapper as he drove on the Las Vegas Strip in a Maserati, touching off a fiery crash that killed a cab driver and his passenger.

Las Vegas police have not named any suspects in the dramatic pre-dawn shooting in the heart of the desert resort city, but said they were still hunting for a black Range Rover used in the incident.

One or more gunmen in the apparently brand-new luxury sport utility vehicle opened fire on a silver Maserati being driven by 27-year-old Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr at the busy intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

Cherry, who performed under the name Kenny Clutch, was killed and his car veered out of control before smashing into a taxicab.

Cab driver Michael Bolden, 62, and his passenger who has not been identified, were both killed.

The gunfire and collision in the busy intersection near the Bellagio and Caesars Palace hotels triggered another crash involving four other vehicles. At least four people were hurt.

Mr Hernandez said Las Vegas police had asked authorities in neighbouring states to assist in the manhunt and to be on the lookout for the black Range Rover, which was described as carrying paper dealer plates.

He said a passenger in Cherry's car, who suffered a minor injury, had spoken to police.

Clark County sheriff Doug Gillespie told a news conference on Thursday that the shooting may have stemmed from an altercation between Cherry and the suspects in the valet area of the Aria Resort and Casino on the Strip.

Mr Hernandez declined to elaborate on that incident, saying that it was part of the ongoing investigation.

The incident occurred less than a mile from where rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in September 1996 while riding in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight after the two men attended a Mike Tyson boxing match.